This present invention relates to a button control for use in game controllers. When the button is pressed down, the angle and magnitude of the force of each depression will determine the amount of contact between the conducting jell and the resistor strip or the conducting tracks located on the printed circuit board and thereby determine the magnitude of the output signals so as to gain greater game control. Further, when said resistor strip is made a cut-open, discontinuous structure, then when the conducting jell begins to press on the resistor strip, the resistance changes from infinite resistance to maximum resistance to facilitate reading of button control status.
FIG. 1(A) shows a conventional controller 10 equipped with a casing 11 and a plurality of buttons 12 and a cross button 18. The buttons of the controller 10 are shown in FIGS. 1(B) and 1(C). In FIG. 1(B), underneath the button 12 is a rubber member 13, and within the rubber member 13 is conducting jell 14 which is directly facing a pair of conducting pieces 16, 17 on the printed circuit board (PCB) 15. The bottom surface of the rubber member 13 is fixed on the PCB 15. FIG. 1(B) shows the normal state when no pressure is exerted on button 12. But when button 12 is pressed, the pressure will cause the elastic rubber member 13 to deform, and the displacement then causes the conducting jell 14 to contact with the conducting pieces 16, 17, causing electrical conduction between the conducting pieces 16 and 17 and a digital signal is produced and output to the game controller. When the pressure is removed, the rubber member 13 retracts to its prior shape as in FIG. 1(B), causing electrical disconnection between conducting pieces 16 and 17 and disabling signal output.
However, the characteristic of xe2x80x9cone press for one digital signalxe2x80x9d of the button 12 of the conventional game controller 10 is unable to satisfy the demands for versatile manipulation of the game software. Similarly, in the case of the cross button 18 where xe2x80x9cone press for one digital signalxe2x80x9d in the respective directions of up, down, left and right is likewise unable to meet the demands for versatile game manipulation.
The object of the present invention is to provide a button control for use in game controllers, which is an improvement over the conventional cross button and ordinary button as described above. When this button is pressed downward, the angular direction and the magnitude of the depressing force will determine the contact area between the conducting jell and the resistor strip or conducting tracks on the PCB and thereby determine the magnitude of the output signals so as to gain greater maneuverability of the game controller. Further, said resistor strip is cut-open or discontinuous structure so that when the conducting jell presses downward and contacts the resistor strip, the resistor value changes from a infinite to a maximum value to facilitate easy reading of the button status.